Tire-body construction.



P. E. WIRT.

TIRE BODY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.4,1911.

. Patented May 12, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented May 12, 1914.

2 SHEBTSvSHEB' 2.

P.I E. WIRT.

TIRE BODY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 00T.4, 1911. 1,096,659.

Bloomsburg, in the county of Body Construction;

UivrrED STATES., PATENT orricu.

'PAUL E. WIBT, 0F BLOOMSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Tran-Boli? CONSTRUCTION.

specification or Letters raient.

Patented May 12, i914..

Continuation of application, Serial No. 554,840, :tiled April 11, 1910. This application led October 4, 1911. Serial No. 652,869.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL E. WIRT, a citizen of the United States, residing at y `Cholumbia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tireof which the following is a specification.

The present invention contemplates certain new anduseful improvements in the construction of tires for automobiles and other vehicles, the primary object thereof being to provide a tire which is pecullarly constructed so as to possess great strength, flexibility and durability, together with marked ability to resist puncture and injury. To this end, the invention contemplates a novel fabric body material designed to be incorporated in a tire body or casing and primarily formed of closely folded fabrlc, preferably rubberized, the folded fabric having its fold walls so disposed and related, and so combined with rubber fillings, or other equivalent Aresilient tying means, as 'to secure a number of important and practical advantages, hereinafter particularly point- .,ed out, ove'r conventional tire constructions of the character wherein flat layers of fabric are superposed upon each other.

l/Vith these and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as `will more fully appear as ceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

The essential features of the invention, involved in carrying out the objects above indicated, are necessarily susceptible to awide range of modification without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, although for illustrative purposes certain preferred embodiments thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a pneumatic tire casing constructed in ac- 'cordance with the rpresent invention, the

clencher element being completed at one edge of the tire and incomplete at the opposite edge of the tire. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a'portion ofthe tire body, the tread being removed therefrom. Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the same showing one form of the folds of which the body portion is com ose the said folds being crushed so as to the bights and ydestroy right arrangement the vertical or upthereof; .the line of sec- 4body with the tread the description pro-4 may be applied to attention of Fig. 3 being indicated bythe section line' 3 3 of Fig. 2, and theview being somewhat exaggerated as to size and openness of the folds. Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating a folded body material wherein the folds maintain a slanting or oblique disposition with reference to the radii of the wheel, the folded body material b'eing built up of several layers of fabric. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing another form of folded body material which is constructed from a single thickness of fabric,

the inner face of the folded body portion having a lining of several thicknesses of fabric which are laid flat upon each other. Fig. 6 is asimilar' View lshowing a still further modification in which the folds of the folded body material are crushed so as to destroy the upright or vertical disposition thereof, but are not so closely compacted together, the interstices between the various folds being filled with rubber. Fig. 7 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2, of a portion of the tire removed, the folds be ing shown as extending diagonally thereof.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in thc following description and` indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In carrying out the present invention a blank strip of provided. This strip is formed of flexible rubberized fabric which is gathered into a series of folds l which are preferably compacted and may, asshown in Fig. 3, have a tumbled or upset formation such as may be conveniently produced by crushing the folds. These folds extend transversely of the body material, and they may. either `extend straight. across the same, as indicated in Fig. 2, or be diagonally disposed -as indicated in Fig.' 7. This folded body portion constitutes the foundation of the tire body, and the edges of the strip are suitably bent to provide the clencher elements 3, while the two ends of the strip 1 may be joined on a form by opening up a fold or twovon each end and then interlocking them, the said 'interlocked ends being.crushedtogether to make a smooth and compact junction. A tread 4 of any suitable construction (prefer ably of the crushed fold type as shown), this foundation, and there is also an outer soft rubber' covering 5 which may be of any desired thickness. An inner lining 6 of rubberized fabric or of rubber fabric body material, is first alone is applied to thefolded body portion l er en Y clench'er elements at the edges of the l so as to provide a smooth interior lining or surface for contact with the pneumatic tube.

lt is characteristic of the folded material in the present tire body construction, to yield more `easily under stress inf-all directions than is possible with a tire body `constructed in the usual manner from superposed flat laid layers of fabric. The folded construction gives a greater amount of radial flexibility owing to the fact' that the bights of the folds .form interminable close lyinv hinges, and the entire body being firmly compressed and held together bythe' rubber, will yield or bend much more easily than is the case with the usual fiat laid body formed of several layers of fabric super-- imposed one upon the other.

A forni of the folded body ortion .1 is illustrated in Fig, 3 in Which 1t is formed of two thicknesses of fabric, the various folds la being crushed vertically so as to flatten the bights and completely destroy the upright or vertical `formationof the folds.

A modification is shown in Fig. 4 in which the body portion is formed with folds Ilh which still retain a parallel relation to each other, although they are crushed sofas to be. diagonally disposed with respect to the radii of the wheel. l' v A slightly different modification is shown in Fig. 5 in which the folds l of the body portion are formed. o f a single ply or thickof material, the seid folds beingl crushedy as the previous instance seas to `assumeva diagonal 'relation to .the radii of the WheeL Attention may also be directed fat this point to the rnodilic'ation shown in Fig. 6,. in which the folds ld of the body portieri are crushed so as to destroy the verticalposition thereof, but are not so closely compacted to?` gether, the spaces between the adjacent folds being filled with .rubber ties 7.. In 'forming body portion, the said edges may be thinned down byv severe rollingor pressure, thereby.

enabling'them to be more readily Worked, into the necessary form, Also to. be-"still" better prepared to. forni `the clench, the-.free edges may contain less material by preparf-`I ing the. body material into two or7 'three 'thicknesses before 'folding or crushlngaind, having 'the ply or thiclnccsswhoseedges arefv ,to formthe clench Wider-thanthe others; thatI @Wing to the `natnreof its. constructib;

e usirl "flat laide tirev body .provides non istios f a rubb g toward the periphery.7 y .ln-

there because of thedi'erence in'circumfer ence at 'the clench area, as compared with that at or nearing the periphery. The folds are necessarily lcrowded closer together at the clench'area as the tire'is formedoveral core, and there follows the slight thickening r I and consequently a greater crowding and cornpacting of folds Which strengthens. and braises the Walls at the sides of the tire at or hear the yclench. This-thickness and com-- pacting diminishes, of course', as `the foldsnear the periphery, and this is of great advantage, asv it better distributes ,resistance and resiliencyover a strengthened-base 'ori foundation at the side Walls starting from the clench. 'It causes the. tire to Wear much longer and it Willnot blow out so readilyv at .the clencharea.' l'

F rom the foregoing, itz-Will have been observed that according to the described method of producing the novel fabric body material; the agglomerated folds may be. upset from the vertical by a so-called crush- 'ing operation, With the result of bringir'xg the adjoining fold Wallsfinto overlapping re-y lation and presenting biglits which produce flexible hinges forthe material. -A fun-da-i mental feature of this invention involved in `this.particular,construction is that of' the Walls of the folds being made tobverlap as by inclining-them or causing them to lic iatwisein the tire in a greater or less de gres. I thereby attain many advantages such as the 'prevention,ofrip'ping crosswise of the folds, a greater trat-:tive efficiency than in the ordinary canvas tire, the ability Vto -[ill boththeijlarger and sinaller circumferences ofthe tire with folds giving somewhatlhe general effectv of a carcass inade of flattened overlapping cords, the prevention pf opening of the folds and. the better hin ing at the sides of thetire as distinguished from a fabric havingvertical folds, andthe .attainment of What'is substantially equivalent tota series of hollow cords With rubber `centers, isblating I'the yWalls and vthreads of ltliefoldsj from each other, When'the fabricy employedx has a rubberized facefor faces.

1.11 .fbriei`,`v the overlapping of the fold Walls'v enablesfthe outerl as vvellas the inner pe-f 4.'riphery of the tiretobe filled with folds.

It i yprovides su-'pplenes or easy 'hinging at the sigles, preventsrioping. aorossthe folds,

and gives many" of the desirable character I, prefer' to *fromv edge, tion tto the, o

"diagonally across' the tire ing, addin ,bull trp Jaiu's betwee beads of thecasing th run straightv'tc'ross, beeld number of a ino' c direct los folds of a given Width in a given size` of tire.

rI he tread 4; may also be formed of crushed fabric material, although any other suitable form of tread might be employed, the present invention pertaining more particularly to the construction of the tire body proper which constitutes a foundation upon which the tread may be mounted.

It Will be noted that the folds of the body portion 1 extend into the clencher elements', thereby simplifying the- .construction of the tire body,- and enabling the folded and crushed material to be utilized at the sides ofthe `tire as Well as at the tread thereof.

y closely folding the case material of rubbered fabric, as shown, instead of disposing it in fiat superposed layers as is commonlydone, the greatest possible strength from the material used is obtained.

Referring to the construction in which the folds extend obliquely or diagonally'across the body, .it may be said that one distinct advantage in such a Aconstruction is that in laying. up or forming the same around av core there is more adaptability in the obliquely folded material. It more readily assumes the tire body shape or configuration and there is less rigidity than Where the folds extend at right angles to the surface of the Wheel. Oblique folds are necessarily longer and open less readily thanfolds directly across the wheel, they bend or yield more in a longitudinal direction when in use, and transmit the strains from tread to beads With an approximation to a straight pull along'the folds. There is consequently a much greater strength flexibility and resiliency, and this insures greater Wear and life to the tire body When in use.

In connection withI the foregoing, it will be observed that in the ordinary tire the outer covering of rubber is likely to be loosened .by lWear and separated from the canvas, but in the folded construction herein described there is more'rubber and a more irregularsurface for the final exterior cover of rubber to be anchored to and 'it will last| and Wear better in consequence.

Hence, tical features of this invention that the folded tire body f construction herein described affords a better anchorage for the exterior covering of rubber than the usually flat-laid tire body. The joints between the folds bein filled with rubber and the exit will be noted as one of the prac# terior sur ace of the crushed folds being 'l somewhat irregular or corrugated affords a. better '.surfaceupon which to weld the ex terior soft rubber covering usually imposed upon tires.

This ap features o tire construction coveredthereby,is a' continuation of the application for my PatentNo. 1,009,365, dated Nov. 21, 1911, which discloses and claims a process for making substantially the same kind of tire body.

Having thus I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

lication, as to 'the fundamental described the invention, What i 1. A tire whose body includes a strip of i fabric formed into a series of closely ad jacent folds with. adjoining' fold-walls disposed in overlapping'rela-tion, and resilient tying-means connecting the folds and maintaining the Walls in said relation.

2. A fabric body-material for tire construction including a strip of fabric having a close succession of diagonally-extending folds y,with adjoining fold-walls disposed in overlapping relation, and rubber llings between-and about the folds.

3. A fabric .body-material for tire 4construction including a strip of fabric having crushed and agglomerated folds upset from the vertical with adjoining fold-Walls disposed in overlapping relation to each other and presenting broad bights which produce flexible hinges for the material, and rubber fillings4 between and about the folds.

'In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

PAUL E. WIRT.

Witnesses:

KARL F. WIRT, C) W. FUNs'roN. 

